How SheCodes helped Caroline transition from Educator to Website Helpdesk Coordinator
🙍♀️ Before SheCodes
Meet Caroline 🇬🇧! Originally from a small town in Scotland, Caroline has always had a love for tech, dating back to the 1970s. As a self-proclaimed geek, she fondly remembers the first home PCs and the era of dial-up internet, when connecting online took forever and tied up the phone line. 🐌 Despite its challenges, she found the innovation of those times fascinating and inspiring.
Caroline explored many different career paths over the years. She started as an administrator in Human Resources, took a break to raise her two children, and later transitioned into childcare. While balancing work, parenting, and studying, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and spent over a decade working with children of all ages and abilities.
During the Covid pandemic, Caroline had the chance to reflect on her passions and rediscovered her love for tech. After trying a short coding course, she discovered that coding was something she enjoyed and could understand. Inspired by this, she found SheCodes during a Google search and was drawn to its flexibility, professional feedback, and supportive community. It felt like the ideal way to start her coding journey. 🚀
“I always thought coding was way beyond my capabilities but realized that it was something that I was really enjoying and did understand the basics during that initial week.“
👩💻 Her SheCodes Experience
Caroline’s experience with SheCodes was empowering and exciting! She loved the pace of the learning, the regular challenges, and the variety of projects. Although it felt like a whirlwind at times, the workshops covered many areas and gave her a solid foundation in programming. 🚀
“I loved the pace of the learning and also the fact that there were regular challenges. I also really enjoyed the different projects, they provided an opportunity to gain a basic knowledge of front-end development.”
One of her favorite parts was connecting with others on the same learning journey. Sharing achievements with the community was a confidence boost and made the experience even more rewarding. 💪
“I met people 'virtually' who were on the same learning path, and we were encouraged to share our achievements. This was empowering and definitely helped my confidence.”
Caroline’s most memorable moment was realizing that coding could be the perfect combination of her love for tech and problem-solving. For years, she thought coding was only for "geniuses" and not something she could understand, but SheCodes proved her wrong. That was her “eureka!” moment! She also loved the flexibility coding offers, including the potential to work from anywhere. “What’s not to love about that?” she says. 😊
“I love tech and have been solving problems both in my job and in my day-to-day life; the two interests combined, and coding is indeed a perfect combination of both.“
🙋 How SheCodes has Helped to Change Her Life
With SheCodes, Caroline gained the essential skills and confidence to step into a tech career. She is now working as a Website Helpdesk Coordinator at MLT Digital, a digital marketing and law firm growth consultancy where Caroline supports website updates and functionality. 🌟
SheCodes provided Caroline with a strong foundation in front-end web development, introducing her to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These skills have been crucial in her current role, where she regularly updates websites. Thanks to SheCodes, she quickly learned how to use developer tools to inspect websites, adjust styling with CSS, and apply JavaScript to ensure smooth functionality. 🚀
“I regularly update websites, and SheCodes enabled me to make a head start in dev tools to inspect a website, CSS to help alter the styling of a webpage, and JS to provide the essential functionality behind the scenes.”
One of her favorite SheCodes projects was building her portfolio, which became a key part of her job application process. It showcased her skills and played a big role in landing her current job. Her advice? Put your best work into your portfolio — it really counts! ✨
Caroline’s journey is a great example of how foundational knowledge can open the door to exciting opportunities in tech. We’re so proud of her! ✨
👩💼 Advice to Future SheCodes Student
Caroline’s advice for future SheCodes students is to take things one step at a time. Learning to code might feel overwhelming at first, but she encourages you not to rush the process. Practice, persevere, and celebrate your small wins along the way. 🌟 She also recommends connecting with others, sharing your experiences, and keep learning! 💪
“Don't be too hard on yourself ... celebrate small wins, connect with others, and share your experiences. Each day is a learning journey, embrace it!”
She found that SheCodes taught her to believe in her own abilities and take chances. "If I can change direction at 50, anyone can!" she says. Caroline’s story proves that hard work and determination pay off, even when things feel difficult. Keep going, and you’ll see your efforts rewarded in the end. 🚀
“If I can change direction at my age, anyone can! Never think you can't do it and give up, you can. It might not be easy, but hard work and determination really do pay off. I am now able to work remotely with an amazing team, best decision I've ever made!!”
🎉 Caroline’s SheCodes Basics Testimonial:
“Had an amazing three weeks on the SheCodes Basics workshop. I have learned so much already! Matt has a great way of explaining how to code, very easy to understand and follow. Also able to chat with fellow coders from around the world. Looking forward to my journey onwards and upwards with the SheCodes Community! Thank you!”
🎉 Caroline’s SheCodes Plus Testimonial:
“Another great workshop from SheCodes. I have learned so much! Can't wait to start on the next level. Thanks to Matt and all the team.”
🎉 Caroline’s SheCodes Responsive Testimonial:
“This is the third course I have completed with SheCodes. It was challenging and fun. I've learned a lot more about ensuring that my website is SEO optimized and that it is fully responsive on all devices. I've really enjoyed the challenges of this workshop and now have a fully responsive portfolio of my own that I can use to help me gain that dream job in tech!!!”
